Cleanup crews hit Detroit streets

Clean Downtown effort began Thursday to attract business, encourage visitors.

By Jennifer Youssef
The Detroit News

June 9, 2006

DETROIT -- Crews of Goodwill Industries workers will scour downtown Detroit streets for trash, power-wash streets and sweep sidewalks as part of the new Clean Downtown initiative that officials kicked off Thursday.

Spearheaded by Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and Detroit Partnership Chairman Roger Penske, who headed the Super Bowl Host Committee, the two-year initiative to clean up the area between Adams, Jefferson, Beaubien and Cass has a privately funded $3 million budget.

The money will pay for trucks, cleaning supplies and wages for the 40 people hired by Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit to clean up downtown the rest of this year and for 44 weeks in 2007.

Penske told the kickoff event audience that he and city officials wanted to maintain the standard of cleanliness Detroiters and visitors enjoyed before, during and after the Super Bowl.

From 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. on scheduled workdays, the crew will take a fleet of six new 15-foot trucks to power wash the streets, sweep sidewalks, clean alleys, pull weeds, paint and do other tasks. They also will work on weekends and at special events as needed.

Ann Lang of the Downtown Detroit Partnership said keeping Detroit clean and orderly will encourage more people to come downtown to shop, eat and enjoy the entertainment.

Officials also hope a tidier downtown will convince merchants to approve a Business Improvement District, which would levy a special tax to finance ongoing cleanup, maintenance and safety efforts.

The initiative "is a good bridge to having a better Business Improvement District," Lang said. "It's a pivotal moment for Detroit. It's going to dramatically boost pride in ourselves and the region."

Jerold McKenzie proudly wore his green shirt and baseball cap, the cleanup crew uniform, and got to work sweeping litter into a red dust pan.

The 51-year-old Detroit man was looking for a job when he was referred to Goodwill to be part of the cleanup project. He said he was glad to be part of it.

"The city needs cleaning," McKenzie said.

Kilpatrick and Penske formally launched the initiative at an event in Campus Martius park.

After celebrating his 36th birthday Thursday with an ice cream cake from the Ben & Jerry's in the nearby Compuware building, Kilpatrick expressed his pleasure in the partnership between the city and Penske.

He said the project is proof that the city is continuing to take great strides in improving its image.

"Roger does what he says he's going to do," Kilpatrick said. "It's another step in making Detroit the city we all want it to be."

Penske said his next focus is to attract more business to the city.

Once the downtown area is clean, safe and has plenty of businesses, Penske added, the next step would be to bring a mass transit system to the city.

You can reach Jennifer Youssef at (313) 222-2300 or jyoussef@detnews.com.

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